English
“Hermosa”
Editor’s note: Missioner Erin McHugh reflects on moments during teaching that have brought up questions for her about privilege, beauty, and unjust societal standards. I recently had a lesson in my English class about beauty and I asked my students, “How do you define beauty? How would you describe a beautiful person?” All the girls…
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Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 3
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. This is the third and final installment of a special series in which we will share some of the work from students in his class. My Typical Day at Palos Blancos By Veronica Otoya One…
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Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 2
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. This is the second installment of a special three part series in which we will share some of the work from students in his class. Sharing Experiences – Intercarreras By Graciel Quino Calle My name is Graciel Quino…
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New Series – Culture and Travel in Bolivia Part 1
Editor’s Note: Second-year missioner Nate Mortenson currently serves as a teacher and head of the English department at Unidad Carmen Pampa in Bolivia. In alignment with our “Comfort and Joy” Advent/Christmas blog series, today launches a special three part series in which we share some of the work from students in his class. Every day my English…
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“¡Gano, Gano!”
“I win, I win!” These words most often associated with sports games recently became the anthem of my second grade classroom. When I first started teaching I blogged about the challenges I was facing as a brand new teacher with no teaching background and a simple desire to give my best to my students. There…
Read MoreDave El Pulpo
For many people, my name is difficult to pronounce. It doesn’t matter where I am in the world, someone will manage to mispronounce it. I became used to this at a young age and I don’t mind gently correcting people. Many of the kids in Guatemala find my name especially difficult to say due to…
Read MoreNew Mission Candidates get a taste of Bolivia
Over the Labor Day weekend the new mission candidates started arriving from all over the country. And what good timing! It just so happened there was a Bolivian festival going on at the Prince William County Fairgrounds in Manassas, VA. Many of these candidates are interested in going to Bolivia for their two years, so…
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Mission Monday: Book signing in Zambia
Fr. Joseph Mutemena, OFM Conv., talks to Sandra Bradford’s English class about his book and becoming a priest. When missioner Sandra Bradford taught the creative writing unit to her St. Francis Secondary School’s 11th grade English class in Zambia, she decided to use an example from the community. “The Beasts of Ghosts Town” is about…
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National Volunteer Month Profile: Lynn in Bolivia
Today we highlight the other half of our couple serving in Bolivia: Lynn Myrick. Lynn was a college English professor for 28 years until she felt called to serve God in a new and different way. After earning her Masters in Theology from Vanderbilt Divinity School, she served as a college chaplain until May 2009 when…
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Prayers for Christmas: Opportunity and Service
Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9: 36-38). FMS missioner Joel Vaughn expresses gratitude for being one of these laborers in his prayer for Christmas. “This Christmas, I am thankful for…
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